The good news today is that the countryside was green and lush and we had no snow, no sleet, no hail, and no hurricanes or tornadoes.  The not so good news was that it was cold (low 50's), windy and rained liked crazy all day and the roads were full of potholes.  When we left the Clark's house this morning, we got all the way to Warren, less than 15 miles or so, when it really started to pour.  We pulled into the drive-thru of a bank which was closed on Sunday and sat there a while to ponder our next move.  Looking out of the right side of the car we saw a Bob Evans restaurant and thought hot chocolate sounded like just the ticket.  Two cups later the rain had lessened in intensity so we started out again on our journey.  Part way through the afternoon when it was again really raining hard, we pulled into a farmer's barn where it was dry to pull out more more jackets and Joe's duster.  A little better protected from the cold, we again hit the road.  You'll must think we are crazy!  We had a teenager at a Subway ask, "Why are you doing this?"  We answered, "Because it needs to be done!" 

I did take a few pictures to show you how things looked through our windshield with no wipers, only Rainex on the windshield to shed the worst of the water coming down. Unfortunately, my camera is still in the car and the car cover is on because it is raining like crazy so I can't loaded the pictures tonight.

THE STEERING COLUMN

The Steering Column will be the view of this "adventure" through the eyes of the driver and will be an advisory concerning the performance of the car.

The car is running fine, it doesn't seem to mind the 400 plus lbs of cargo in the back and the steepest grade encountered to this point has been 10%.  I have found that I have been able to pull a long, 7% grade in high gear, but anything more than that would be 2nd gear.  It is leaking more oil than normal and I have decided that that is because of my adding Marvel Mystery Oil before we left.  I think it has thinned the viscosity too much.  To offset that effect, I have added 2 quarts of straight 50 weight oil.

The first two days of driving were purely a pleasure - the engine was running cool even on long upgrades, good roads and we covered about 150 miles each day.  Today was another matter. The drive from PA into New York was pretty miserable - terrible roads, much rain, wind, bone-chilling cold, very little braking power and visibility.  Kim Simone said she would provide us with a spare room and hot shower when we get to northern CA.  I focused on that.

           .....AND THAT'S ALL PART OF MOTORING!!!    

Today we woke ready to hit the road, rested and anxious to see new countryside.  Joe had done all the maintenance on the car the night before, so all we needed was to gas up and get a bite to eat down the road a bit.  By about 10:00 we were really getting hungry and stopped at a Mennonite market, ate breakfast and picked up a bag of Gummy Bears, a requirement for travel in an antique car.  We traveled north to Tioga and Potter counties in PA.  Both are very rural, and Potter county especially, is known for great hunting, snowmobiling and outdoor recreation of all types.

I saw lots of deer carcasses along the road but only 2 live ones and saw 2 wild turkeys.  Wild turkeys are my most favorite of all wildlife with the exception of a little teal bird called an Indigo Bunting.  I did see one of those on a car tour last week and will keep my eyes peeled for others.

The weather cooperated for the most part.  We did have 4 periods of light rain but they didn't last long and we never had to put the side curtains on.  We traveled a combination of back roads and some 4 lane roads but the 4 lane roads had little traffic and people had no trouble passing us.

We spent the night in Youngstown visiting Bob and Judy Clark, friends from many antique car tours. What a treat!  We visiting their farm and ate out under the stars by their fire pit.  Great fun!

Tomorrow we'll just keep heading down the road and see what the day brings.  Joe will give all a technical update tomorrow evening.

Friday, May 29,2015

WE ARE ON OUR WAY!!!

Joe and I left this morning on our 4 month trip.  We stopped for a quick breakfast
about three miles from home than turned into a real event.  There was a 1931 Model A in the parking lot, a lady in the restaurant whose father or grandfather had had an E-M-F many, many years before, a WW II Veteran (Navy and in the Pacific Theater -Okinawa and other operations) and a couple we knew.  I had worked with the lady at a college in York some years ago and her friend is an AACA judge.  The word got out in the restaurant that we were in the parking lot and they all had to come out and see the car and hear about the trip.  Our quick breakfast became an hour.

The day has gone well, the temperature pleasant at mid 80's, car running perfectly, and the roads beautiful.  We traveled north along the east side of the Susquehanna River to Williamsport for the night.  If you are ever traveling Rt 147 along the river, be sure to stop in at the Front Street Station in Northumberland, PA.  It is an old train depot that is full of railroad memorabilia, still has the original benches and ladies and men's bathrooms.  The food was absolutely top notch!  Being the first day of the trip, we celebrated with dessert - the best Tiramisu I have ever eaten.

  

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES PACKED FOR TRIP

Cordless drill, flashlight, tow rope (in case a broken-down modern car with electronic ignition needs assistance), electrical tape

Clevis pins, miscellaneous nuts/bolts, wire, springs, drill bits, oil, spare magneto 

Valve spring compressor to remove sticky valve

Grease gun, oil and gas additives, (use non-ethanol gas when available), additives when it is not available

Spare intertubes, wheel puller, spare wheel bearings, jack, tire changing tools, chain and turn buckle to compress split rim when  changing tire, spare fuel line, waterpump packing, gas filters, riveting tool for installing brake linings

Miscellaneous Tools

PREPARATION FOR TRIP

Preparing for a trip of this magnitude has been quite an undertaking.  In addition to planning the trip, Joe has taken EVERY precaution possible in insure that our trip is trouble free.  He has done the following:

   Front springs have been removed to have new bushing and shackle bolts installed
   New tires have been installed on all 4 wheels
   Opened and inspected trans-axle
   Installed new brakes (Green Grabber)
   Disassembled and inspected carburetor
   Installed seat belts
   Installed flexible shaft so that carburetor can be regulated from inside car to
     accommodate different altitudes
   Checked ignition timing
   Inspected magneto
   Inspected compression
   Installed gradometer to measure per cent of grade on hills
   Installed dashcam and weather radio
   Installed new king pins and bushings in front axle including thrust bearings to 
      improve steering
   Checked wheel alignment and  balanced front wheels 
   Checked all fluid levels
   Changed oil (Brad Penn) and greased oil fittings and grease cups 
   Installed new exhaust system
   Added caution lights and sign on rear
   Installed auxillary heavy duty car battery on running board to power lights, 
      caution signals and weather radio   
   Checked tire pressure and inflated to 60 lbs
   Checked lug nuts for tightness
   Made wicker trunk
   Made tonneau cover for back seat and cover for wicker trunk